We started our first day by driving to Itasca State Park and parking the van. We unloaded the bikes and got everything assembled, loaded up, and ready for riding. Next we found the visitor’s center and the path to the headwaters. It was a beautiful spot! A little stream flowing from a pristine lake. Hard to imagine that the river I had previously experienced started out so clear and beautiful. I have crossed it many times in our area by car and a few times by bike. About 10 days ago we rode along its banks by the Quad Cities and witnessed its wide, muddy expanse starting to flood because of all the rains this summer. At no time during that ride would I have thought about jumping in for a swim but at the headwaters area… it wouldn’t have taken much convincing to spend the day in its waters.

Mel and I dipped our back tires in the river and grabbed a few more group pictures before riding. We are joined on the first part of our trip by Josh and Kelly Fosler. The four of us rode about 31 miles on low use roads from the park to our lunch spot. During that time we crossed the river 3 times and could already see it growing in width and flow as smaller streams were joining it. Our next sighting was Lake Bemidji where the river enters the lake and then exits on its way south. We had lunch at a cool coffee shop and took a break there. From that point we rode the Paul Bunyan Trail (a paved bike path on a former railroad) for the next 32 miles finishing in the town of Walker. The roads were smooth and the path was nice! It was sunny and a little breezy but the shade on the path and the trees provided nice relief from both. We ended the day with dinner by the shore of Leach Lake at a local restaurant. The bikes and the riders all did well. Looking forward to our Day 2 that ends in Brainerd.

Some Mississippi River facts:

*The river starts at 1,475’ above sea level

*The river flows about 2,340 miles to the Gulf

*30 percent of the length flows in Minnesota

*Itasca is a word derived from the Latin words veritas (truth) and caput (head). It’s what the first European explorers called the source after finding it with the help of the local peoples.

*The word Mississippi is Misi zipi, the French word formed of the Ojibwa name for the river, Misi-ziibi, which means Great River.